Young Pacers exceed expectations by advancing to Eastern Conference semifinals

Coach Rick Carlisle kept insisting the Indiana Pacers should strive for more than just making the playoffs. On Thursday night, Indiana took one gigantic leap forward by routing the Milwaukee Bucks 120-98 in Game 6 to reach the Eastern Conference semifinals for the first time since 2014. “You talk about getting to the playoffs and it's like in college when you have a really good team and you talk about getting to the Final Four and then all of a sudden just getting to the Final Four is kind of where your expectation was,” Carlisle said. The Pacers will face an old nemesis in the New York Knicks, who advanced with a six-game victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday.